Ever since "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", Carrey has been widely known as a comedian. After Ace Ventura, he continued his comedic routes with such films as "The Mask", "Dumb and Dumber" and an Ace Ventura sequel. He was the king of comedy and a guy that studios wanted.

His next project proved that people were not ready for any change from their funnyman. "The Cable Guy" would mark his first 20 million dollar paycheck and his first film that would confuse many critics and fans. People didn't like the fact that Carrey played a dark character who was the antagonist. As the movie has aged though, some now regard it to be one of his better comedies.

He responded with his next movie, "Liar Liar". It was a return to old in this slapstick comedy, where he could not tell a lie for 24 hours. The film received outstanding reviews, with critics calling it his best comedy. It also made a big splash at the box office. However, Carrey would surprise audiences with his following roles.

His next film, he played the role of a man who doesn't know he's living in a constructed reality soap opera, being televised to billions across the globe. "The Truman Show" would prove to be Carrey's best-reviewed film, averaging a 95% at Rotten Tomatoes. Some Critics compared the performance to Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump", with many others surprised by the strong performance.

"The Truman Show" would earn Carrey's first Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama, and he showed no signs of slowing down either.

Carrey continued to show his range of acting with his next films "Man on the Moon", "The Majestic", and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". He proved that he was not just a comedian, or did he.

After he teamed up for the second time with director Joel Schumacher, some critics and fans thought he should stick to his Comedies. However, many thought "The Number 23"'s failure was largely Schumacher's fault, saying, 'with a better director it could have been better'. "The Number 23" went on to score an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, becoming Carrey's worst critically received film to date.

His next film, coming soon, is arguably his toughest role to date. Based on the true story, Carrey plays as Steve Russell, a homosexual con artist who is resilient to lose the love of his life, Phillip Morris, and goes to extremes to reunite with him. "I Love You Phillip Morris" is already receiving great buzz out of Sundance Film Festival and European Film Festival, being called 'Carrey's best film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'one of Carrey's best performances'

Unfortunately, the debate that 'Carrey should stick to comedies' will most likely always be there. However, don't expect that to stop him from exploring new-interesting roles.

i think the critics realise he's capable of capturing an astonishing range of emotion on screen and they want him to fulfill that potential......he's already proved he's the finest comedy actor in Hollywood.